JILL MCCORKLE: The plague of silence

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers are trying again this year to remove a Jim Crow-era voting test from the state's constitution. This year, the amendment's chances of making it onto voters' ballots may be better. In 1899, after the civil war, North Carolina and many other southern states...

RALEIGH, N.C. — The way North Carolina schools are graded is due for an update, state education leaders say. To that end, officials are examining new ways to rate schools, weighing whether to include a host of other metrics — everything from students attendance to electives — to determine what separates good schools from bad schools.

In this week's episode of The Wrap podcast, WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and State Government Reporter Travis Fain tick through the ever-growing list of bills filed at this still-young legislative session, including the LGBTQ bills that have gotten so much attention. Plus, a lawsuit could lead to a change in when ex-felons can vote again in North Carolina. Also: musical chairs in the capitol press corps.

Since the 1700s, lotteries in the United States have been used to raise funds for public projects. North Carolina also uses these lottery systems for huge community returns. Digging deeper into how lotteries in North Carolina have evolved is genuinely a fascinating journey. North Carolina began its foray into the...

RALEIGH, N.C. — The new Republican majority on North Carolina's Supreme Court agreed on Friday to rehear redistricting and voter identification cases less than two months after the court's previous edition, led by Democrats, issued major opinions going against GOP legislators who had been sued. The extraordinary decisions, granted...

WILMINGTON, N.C. — North Carolinians and passengers traveling through Wilmington International Airport had plenty of reactions to the suspected Chinese spy balloon traveling through the state Saturday. The Wilmington International Airport had flights grounded after the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon entered it's airspace Saturday. The balloon was shot down...

RALEIGH, N.C. — Did you know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once spoke to a crowd of 5,000 at Reynolds Coliseum on NC State Campus in Raleigh?. The historic event took place in 1966 – but it wasn't given momentous treatment. Instead, the moment was almost wiped from the history books.

LAWRENCE, KAN. — Though the Insight Women’s Center sits at the epicenter of a reinvigorated battle in the nation’s culture wars, the only hint of its faith-based mission to dissuade people from getting abortions is the jazzy, piano rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” playing in a waiting room.

In a rare move, the North Carolina Supreme Court decided Friday that two high-profile political lawsuits with major consequences for voters in the state need a do-over. The cases have to do with voting districts and voter identification laws, and they're the first major orders by the state’s highest court since Republicans gained a majority on the bench.

WASHINGTON — What in the world is that thing?. The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. China insists the balloon is just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds and has only limited “self-steering” capabilities.

NASHVILLE, TENN. — Journalist Joe Edwards, who chronicled country music and helped “Rocky Top” become a Tennessee state song during his four-decade Associated Press career, has died. He was 75. Longtime AP colleague Randall Dickerson said Edwards’ wife called him to share the news that her husband...

RALEIGH – The first significant mass layoffs in North Carolina are taking place – two sites in Winston-Salem and another in Rutherford County – according to notices filed with the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Collins Aerospace says it is shuttering two offices in Forsyth County, affecting...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — The car owned by a missing 74-year-old Florida Lyft driver was found in North Carolina and the man who was driving it is wanted in connection with a homicide last week in southwest Florida, authorities said Friday. Lyft driver Gary Levin hasn't been heard from...

BAILEY, N.C. — The Town of Bailey in Nash County has fired its police chief. Former police chief Cathy Callahan was placed on leave and investigated following reports of misconduct by another officer. Callahan is now speaking out against the town’s decision and the reporting officer. “Everything he...

Durham, N.C. — The celebration is on Saturday night after Duke's 63-57 win over North Carolina. After the victory, thousands of Duke students gathered around a bonfire at the Duke Quad. Sky 5 flew over the scene. Duke's victory stamps Jon Scheyer's first victory as a head coach in...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Children in California won't have to get the coronavirus vaccine to attend schools, state public health officials confirmed Friday, ending one of the last major restrictions of the pandemic in the nation's most populous state. Gov. Gavin Newsom first announced the policy in 2021, saying it...

ZEBULON, N.C. — A week of social media threats targeting Wake County schools ended Friday with a series of lockdowns but with no answers about the culprits. Parents of students from Raleigh to Zebulon scrambled to pick up frightened children, to calm fears and to raise questions after six schools endured some level of lockdown.

ZEBULON, N.C. — A hostile week of social media threats toward schools continued on Friday morning as multiple lockdowns were enacted on Friday morning at several schools in Wake County. The news spread shortly after many parents had dropped their children off at school, prompting some to turn around...

ORLANDO, FLA. — Union members voted down a contract proposal covering tens of thousands of Walt Disney World service workers, saying it didn't go far enough toward helping employees face cost-of-living hikes in housing and other expenses in central Florida. The unions said that 13,650 out of 14,263 members...

GARNER, N.C. — Someone in North Carolina won $1 million in Wednesday night's Powerball drawing. The $2 winning ticket was purchased from the Food Lion on N.C. Highway 50 in Garner. It was one of two tickets to win $1 million in the nationwide drawing; the other winner was in Florida.